Rotary earth boring drill



July 7, 1936.

c. E. REED ROTARY EARTH BORING DRILL Filed May 16, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I eERe el,

Cla re mad/ 1M v-\%z y 1936- c. E. REED 2,047,116 I ROTARY EARTH BORING DRILL Filed May 16, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WWW Patented July 7, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROTARY EARTH BORING DRILL Application May 16, 1933, Serial No. 671.384

6 Claims.

The invention concerns rotary earth boring drills of the general type in which rotary toothed cutters are mounted on a carrier member connected with a bit head and are adapted to drill by 5 contacting with the earth formation during rotary movement of the bit head.

The invention concerns the features and combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the bit head and roller cutter organization.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the cutter carrier member.

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the cutter carrier.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the drill, the cutters mostly being indicated diagrammatically.

Fig. 6 is a side view of the cutter carrier looking from the right of Fig. 2.

Fig. '7 is a side view of the bit head.

Fig. 8 is an end view of the bit head.

In the drawings I indicates the bit head having means at 2 for attachment to a drill stem or drill tube. This head has a recess 3 defined by depending walls with divergent inner faces 4 and approximately vertical outer walls. These depending walls have notches 5 in their lower ends. Within this flaring recess is located a roller cutter organization comprising a carrier member 6 having a cylindrical upper stem portion 1 fitting into a socket la within the bit head above the flaring r recess 3 and communicating therewith. This cutter carrier is provided on its outer sides with lugs or wings 6a fitting into slots or notches la in the wall of the socket at opposite points thereon, said slots being open at their lower ends so that by moving the carrier up into the bit head the lugs Ba will enter said slots wherein they are retained by bolts 61) at the outer sides of the bit head where they are mounted in perforatedlugs or portions l2 of the bit head, said bolts lying in openings in the lugs 6a and I2. The cutter carrier includes a body portion l3 of triangular cross sectional shape. From the upwardly converging sides of this body portion spindles project in opposite directions. These spindles are indicated at 8 and Ill. The spindle 8 has a flange or head 8a fitting into a recess 8b in the triangular carrier body portion. The spindle l fits into a socket in a flange or head So of a spindle 9, which is arranged with its axis horizontal and is mounted in the carrier. On this horizontally arranged spindle is mounted a roller cutter 3:1: for

cutting at the bottom of the hole at one side of the vertical axis of the drill.

The spindle I0 is of composite form, including the portion Illa seated in the socket in the head or flange of the spindle 9 and a portion lllb arranged eccentric to the portion Illa and having its axis at an acute angle to the axis of the portion Illa. Each of the portions Illa, lllb has a roller cutter mounted thereon as shown at 4x and 5x. These roller cutters have roller bearings lllc. Between 10 these roller cutters 4a: and 5.1: is a flange l 0d broad at its lower end and with its opposite sides converging upwardly.

The roller bearings are held in place, in part by this flange.

By reason of the relation of the spindle portions Illa, lllb with their axes at an acute angle to each other, the cutters 4a; and 5a: rotate in planes at an acute angle to each other. A third spindle l l is mounted in part on the end of the spindle portion lllb and with its axis at an acute angle to the axes of the spindle portions Illa, lllb. The spindle ll has a socket lla receiving the end of the spindle portion lob. The spindle ll has a flange llb which furnishes a side bearing for the roller cutters 5x and 6a. This cutter 6a: is mounted on anti-friction rollers. The spindle ll bears at its end in a bushing l4 which is fitted within the notch 5 at the lower end of the depending wall of the bit head. The cutter 6x rotates in a plane at an acute angle to the planes in which the roller cutters-4m and 5:: work, so that the roller cutters all diverge downwardly in respect to each other. The bushing M has a fiange Ila bearing on the inner side of the depending wall of the bit head. This flange also provides a side bearing for the roller cutter 6a. The three roller cutters 41:, 5:1: and 6a: are located on one side of the vertical axis of the drill.

The roller cutters on the opposite side of the vertical axis of the bit head from the location of the three cutters above mentioned, comprise two cutters, la: and. 2:0. The roller cutter la: is mounted on roller bearings carried by a spindle la between a flange or head lb of said spindle and the flange l4a of the bushing or wear member I4 located in the notch at the lower end of the depending wall of the bit head. The head or flange lb of the spindle la is provided with a socket which receives the spindle 8 of the roller cutter 23:, which is mounted on roller bearings located between the flange or head lb of spindle la, and the flange 8a of spindle 8.

The head or flange 8a is located in a recess 8b of the cutter carrier member wherein it may be secured by welding at I 5, which welding may also secure the spindle 9 in place. The spindles la and 8 have their axes at an acute angle to each other. The spindles la and 8, however, incline upwardly in the same general direction, and this is true also of the spindles i0, and ii, and the spindle portions I00. and Nib of the spindle iii. In other words, all the spindles incline upwardly from the body of the carrier member, and they virtually form an inverted arch shaped structure, the ends of the arch being anchored in the bushings l4 located in the notches 5 of the depending walls of the bit head.

Similar to the arrangement of the roller cutters 41:, 5:1: and 6:1: in downwardly divergent relation each other, the cutters I :t and 2x also are related to each other in a downwardly divergent position. This arrangement distributes the lower cutting edges of the roller cutters at proper distances apart across the diameter of the bore hole. The cutters may be arranged with their axes all in the same vertical plane. The spindles may be connected to each other by the projecting end of one spindle fitting into a socket in the adjacent spindle, or the sockets may be screw threaded to receive the adjacent spindle.

This drill is intended primarily for rapid penetration of shale formations and so-called soft earth formations. To this end the roller cutters each have wide and deep concentric grooves intersected by the cross grooves between the teeth.

Suitable flushing fiuid passages l6 are employed for flushing the cutters.

The bit head is longer than wide, as shown in Fig. 3, in that portion thereof which contains the roller cutter organization. The length of this portion of the bit head is as represented in Fig. l. The width of the lower part of the bit head is less than the diameter of the roller cutters. This lower part of the bit head is open laterally intermediate the flaring end walls 4-4.

The various rollers rotate independently. The rollers decrease in diameter from the outermost to the innermost, and each rotates at the speed corresponding to the requirements of its position.

I do not limit myself to the arrangement of cutters extending from side to side of the bit head with their axes all in the same vertical plane, except as may be specifically included in certain of the claims. Nor do I limit inyself to the particular form and arrangement of the parts, except as pointed out particularly in the appended claims which define the scope of the invention.

Certain features herein disclosed relating to the bearing and spindle structure for the cutters, and the cutter arrangement, are claimed in copending application- Serial No. 672,317, filed May 22, 1933.

I claim:

1. In combination in an earth boring drill, a bit head, side cutters cutting an area at the side of the hole including clearance for the bit head rotating in planes convergent upwardly in the 5 bit head and substantially tracking each other, and other inclined cutters intermediate the side cutters, inclined toeach other at an arute angle and in planes convergent upwardly, said intermediate cutters contacting the entire area at 10 the bottom of the hole intermediate the side cutters, the sides of all of said cutters facing each other, substantially as described.

2. A roller cutter organization for an earth boring drill comprising a series of roller cutters 16 positioned side by side from end to end of the organization, and having their axes inclined to each other at an acute angle, the cutters rotating in planes convergent upwardly, a series of spind e portions having flanges, and interfit- 20 ting together by a socket and projecting end engagement of the spindle portions for supporting the roller cutters including inclined side cutters.

3. A roller cutter organization according to 25 claim 2, in which each cutter is mounted for independent rotation.

4. A roller cutter organization according to claim 2 in which roller bearings are arranged on and between the spindles and their respective 30 cutters.

5. A roller cutter organization for earth boring drills comprising a carrier member, spindles projecting from opposite side of said carrier and inclining upwardly and outwardly, and other spindles connected with the spindles first mentioned, and inclining upwardly and outwardly at a greater inclination than the spindles first mentioned, the outermost spindles being adapted to be seated in the walls of a bit head, and rotary cutters on the spindles working in planes convergent upwardly by reason of the relative inclined positions of the spindles, substantially as described.

6. In combination in an earth boring drill, a bit head, a roller cutter organization comprising a plurality of rotary cutters disposed in a group to one side of the drill axis and all arranged side by side in planes inclined to the horizontal and convergent upwardly in the bit head, said cutters cutting entirely on the bottom of the hole below the drill from substantially the drill axis to beyond the bit head to provide clearance therefor, and an inclined roller cutter on the opposite side of the drill axis from said group and tracking the outermost portion of the area cut by said group, all of said cutter axes lying in a plane passing through the bit head axis.

CLARENCE E. REED. 

